Interprofessional Education: Concept, Theory and Application

This paper explores conceptual and pragmatic aspects of interprofessional education, with the aim of adding to its epistemology. It includes an examination of the issues involved in the translation of interprofessional educational theory into practice. The work for the paper was aimed at creating a framework for interprofessional education that could inform practice in relation to a cancer care course. It draws upon Bernstein's contribution to the sociology of education, in particular his concepts of classification and framing as theoretical tools, to understand knowledge production and reproduction. The concept of terrains of knowledge created by interprofessional education is suggested and the issues associated with these new ways of knowing are elaborated. Differences for pre-and post-registration students are identified and utilised to highlight issues associated with creating effective interprofessional learning environments. Finally, personal and generic applications of the theory are discussed.